The Montezuma County commissioners are planning to take on the duties of the county administrator themselves while they look for a replacement for current administrator Travis Anderson.
At their meeting Tuesday, they directed county attorney Stephen Tarnowski to draft a resolution providing for interim administration by the commissioners.
Anderson is retiring as of July 11. However, there’s a chance he could come back on a contractual basis starting in September if he and the board can come to such an agreement.
Commission Chairman Jim Candelaria told KSJD the board is advertising for a new administrator, but it frequently takes counties nine months to a year to find one.
At the meeting, Commissioner Kent Lindsay likewise said it can be a lengthy process.
“It’s going to be difficult to replace Travis,” Lindsay said. “Finding an administrator for a job like this seems more and more difficult all the time.
He said county department heads are very capable of running their own departments, but there has to be oversight.
“There’s got to be a captain of this ship,” Lindsay said.
Tarnowski said that, during the time that there is no administrator in place, the board can take up those duties.
However, the specifics of which commissioners are responsible for which duties need to be delineated. The commissioners also need to be sure they aren’t meeting outside the public’s view and making decisions.
The commissioners plan to formally consider the resolution directing the interim management at their next meeting.
